If the sight of an aberration visiting without attacking was strange, the fact that it could speak human language was nothing short of a thunderbolt.

Although it spoke in the guttural tones of the Abyssal Language, and Rosalyn struggled to understand due to her limited grasp of the language, the impact was undeniable. Stuttering, she managed to say, “Y-You… How can you speak?”

Yvette, recalling something, asked, “Have you regained memories from your human past?”

“After the third… evolution was completed… I can see fragments… of information remaining in my brain…” The Dual Blade Demon gradually found its rhythm as it spoke, its voice growing smoother, becoming more adept at using human speech.

Noting Rosalyn’s hesitant demeanor, the Dual Blade Demon almost smiled again, but upon catching the expression of the stoic Yvette, it suppressed the impulse, saying, “I’ve long been aware of your… living areas… and those Mother Nest factions… I know all about them, and thus… I won’t approach… Yesterday, I was merely testing your abilities…”

Testing, referring to yesterday’s ambush against Rosalyn… Mother Nest? It likely referred to the warring factions in the Grayport conflict… but why did it sound like it had set itself apart?

Yvette pondered this while Rosalyn cowered behind her teacher. Utilizing her spoken skills learned in the dream, she asked, “Are you still human? And what do you mean by ‘Lord’?”

“I can only see… some memories and knowledge… I am different from those other third-phase… fools… I possess more wisdom than them… and a stronger body than humans… I am a higher, limitless… perfect being.”

The Dual Blade Demon could no longer contain its amusement and revealed the same fearful smile that had haunted Rosalyn’s dreams. But this time, Yvette did not strike.

It was clear that this creature had fully separated itself from the aberrations, calling itself a perfect being while denigrating other third-phase aberrations as fools. Considering that its knowledge stemmed from memories of its human life, did this imply that humanoid aberrations, upon reaching the third phase, had a greater capacity for knowledge and wisdom? Yvette contemplated.

After a pause, the Dual Blade Demon continued, “The Lord… is the fourth phase of evolution… Once it is born… it will be the ruler of the island… At that point, my best outcome will be… losing my freedom… and the worst outcome will be… becoming nutrients… Your existence… is too threatening and will definitely be eradicated…”

“Why do you come to us for collaboration? What about the other third-phase aberrations?” Yvette questioned.

“They are fools and cannot communicate; they know nothing… The only ones who understand the truth are slaves of the Mother Nest, having completed their evolution through it… My evolution was solely through my own efforts,” the Dual Blade Demon stated, its speech becoming increasingly proficient, and there was a detectable air of superiority in its tone.

While Mother Nests could aid aberrations in evolution, the price was control by the nest. The Dual Blade Demon, having reached the third phase by its own strength, had thus positioned itself as a lone wolf amongst the factions of the Mother Nests…

Yvette understood the implications of its words but remained puzzled. “Then after the Lord is born, who controls you? The Lord, or the Mother Nest? Are they one and the same?”

“The Mother Nest is weak at birth and will choose a… collaborator, who becomes the Nest Master… There can only be one… If it remains alive, it cannot be changed, and it won’t be under the Mother Nest’s control… The Nest Master can evolve into the Lord,” the Dual Blade Demon explained.

Ah, so it implied that early Mother Nests lacked the ability to grow and needed outside investment, thus establishing a “Nest Master” to form a symbiotic relationship. Once the Mother Nest matured, it would nurture the Nest Master, helping it evolve into the fourth phase, thus architecting a monstrous hierarchy… Yvette pressed on, “How does a Mother Nest come into existence?”

“I don’t know.” The Dual Blade Demon’s answer was surprisingly blunt, then it added, “… luck.”

“Do you know where the earliest aberrant lifeforms came from when the apocalypse fell?” Yvette inquired again.

This time, the Dual Blade Demon simply shook its head, remaining silent as it gazed at her. Although its immense white compound eyes didn’t convey expression, through its humanized facial structure, Rosalyn could sense it was essentially asking back, “How should I know?”

Seeing that the duo no longer posed questions, the Dual Blade Demon smirked again, saying, “This information… is my sincerity… The corrupted forest between the mountains… is where the Lord will be born… The Nest Master is already evolving itself, attacking the two nests outside to buy time… All elite guards have been mobilized next to the Mother Nest… I suggest you reach a decision quickly… or within half a month… heh…”

With that, its four wings quivered slightly, transforming into a shadow, blending silently into the darkness, disappearing without a trace.

…

The next morning, Rosalyn, who hadn’t slept well all night and bore two dark circles under her eyes, descended the stairs to find her teacher already awake.

In what could barely be called a beast pen, there were some wildlife animals Yvette had captured.

The early morning light was pale, and Yvette sat quietly at a simple wooden table, her silhouette elongated. Holding a slender syringe filled with a dark liquid that gently sloshed inside, she concentrated as she slowly injected it under the skin of a gray rabbit.

Rosalyn chose not to disturb her, knowing that her teacher was engrossed in an experiment.

Three years after developing the “Regeneration Pump” spell, Yvette had been investigating how to filter out aberrant factors from within using an illusory heart as a life-saving method against aberrant infections. However, due to her lack of understanding of the nature of these factors, requiring knowledge far beyond her reach, and her own laziness, experiments had only been conducted sporadically for a couple of hours at a time. Consequently, the optimization process for the elaborate “Regeneration Pump” had stalled for three years without significant results.

In reality, Yvette had taken this leisurely approach because, after countless years of existence as a powerful mage, what was there that could not wait until tomorrow?

Yet, after witnessing the war from the previous day and the visit from the Dual Blade Demon that night, Yvette had not slept in, instead commencing her experiments early, indicating the immense pressure the impending birth of the “Lord” in the Ish Mountain Range was placing on her.

Quietly, Rosalyn entered the kitchen, tied on an apron, and began to prepare breakfast. As she placed the warm meal beside Yvette, she noticed a hint of abnormality on her teacher’s face.

“How is it going, teacher?” Rosalyn asked.

“I have a lead,” Yvette replied, exhaling softly. “It was worth my while to study through the night.”

“Did you really work all night?” Rosalyn asked in surprise.

“Mm,” Yvette simply nodded.

“So if you take it seriously, teacher, you truly are a genius!” Rosalyn smiled brightly.

Is that implying I was too lazy before… Yvette mused, scrutinizing the angelic smile on the girl’s face.

After finishing breakfast, the two set out once more, essentially circling the Ish Mountain Range situated in the center of Ish Island, starting from Ish City in the south, moving toward the northwest Grayport City, traversing the scattered remnants of town, and ultimately reaching Rua City in the north, before returning southward along the eastern highway that circled the island.

It took an entire day, and the energy storage panels of their magitek motorcycle were thoroughly drained, relying solely on Yvette’s nearly 650 mana reserves to recharge them.

During this process, they primarily observed the edges of a few battlefields. They confirmed that the Ish Mountain Range was indeed engaged in simultaneous conflict against both the Grayport and Rua factions, and it appeared that the tide insects opposing Grayport had no third-phase aberrations leading them, while those opposing Rua were led by a third-phase canine aberration, possibly sent out to pretend to be a formidable force.

Finally, as they traveled along the lengthy 150-kilometer eastern highway, they once again encountered the Dual Blade Demon while gazing upon the Ish Mountain Range in the distance.

It maneuvered alongside their floating vehicle, chuckling softly, “Heh, by now, you should know… I was not deceiving you…”

We have not confirmed that all you said is the truth… Rosalyn thought to retort but was interrupted as the Dual Blade Demon continued, “I truly am the most intelligent perfect being…”

For a moment, both master and pupil fell silent; they could not refute this claim, as during their attempts to engage with the third-phase aberrations and Mother Nests in Grayport and Rua City, they found that, perhaps due to the absence of human-like brains, those creatures behaved more like beasts, incapable of articulated speech and incapable of understanding gestures. Instead, they simply snarled and attacked without comprehension… ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ NoveI(F)ire.net

It seemed that as a humanoid aberration, the Dual Blade Demon was indeed superior in this aspect, as it at least could communicate.